Trace-holder



"No. 752,560. PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904.

B JOHNSON TRACE HOLDER.

nruoumn IILBD MAY a. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented February 16, 1904.

BELLFIELD JOHNSON, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRACE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 752,560, dated February16, 1904.

Application filed May 8, 1903. Serial No. 156,264. (N0 OdBL) citizen ofthe United States, residing at Williamsport, in the county of Lycomingand State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Trace-Holders, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to trace-holders, particularly of the typesometimes termed .whiffletree-hooks and designed to be employed at theends of a whiflietree to provide for securing the traces thereto andpreventing the same from becoming accidentally disengaged.

To this end the invention has in viewa simple and practical form oftrace-holder or whiffletree-hook constituting a rigid fixure to the endof the tree and having an entire absence of springs or other movableparts, such as is common to some types of trace-holders.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a form of rigid holder orhook which while of a simple and cheap construction at the same time isvery effective to hold the trace firmly in its interlocked position andabsolutely preventing the accidental disengagement of the trace.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readilyappear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the sameconsists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement ofparts, which will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated, andclaimed.

The essential feature of the invention involved in the formation of thehead portion of the holder or hook is susceptible to slight variationswithout departing from the scope of the invention; but a preferredembodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view of a traceholder embodying the presentinvention and shown in operative relation to a trace end connectedtherewith.- Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the same construction,illustrating a trace in locked position within the head portion of thehook and also indicating by dotted lines the position to which the traceend must be turned for disengagement from the hook.

Like reference-numerals designate corresponding parts throughout bothfigures of the drawings.

In carrying out the invention no change is involved in the constructionof the tree or the usual location of the holder or hook, so forillustrative purposes the numeral 1 in the drawings designates the endportion of an ordinary whiffietree or swingletree, to the end of whichis rigidly fitted a trace-holder 2, embodying the present invention.This traceholder 2 is in general form of an approximate T-shaped hook,essentially consisting of a straight holding-shank 3, having a pointedextremity 4: and driven longitudinally in the end of the tree 1, and across-head 5, rigid with the outer extremity of the shank and havingequal portions located on opposite sides .of the shank, said head beingprovided at the ends, upon opposite sides of the plane of the shank,with backturned guard-tongues 6, lying in parallelism to the shank 3 andprojecting nearly the entire distance across the interval between thehead 5 and the contiguous end of the tree 1. These tongues are spacedapart a distance greater than the thickness of the adjacent end of thetree, and consequently the entrances to the partially-inclosed spacesformed are diagonally disposed, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The backturnedguard-tongues 6 are provided with beveled tips 7, which facilitate thedisengagement of the trace end 8, provided therein with the elongatedwidened eye 9, which is adapted to be slipped on and off the headportion of the trace-holder. The inner ends of the guard-tongues,moreover, are located inside the inner face of the cross-head, so thatsaid tongues will engage over the edges of the trace. If desired toreinforce or strengthen the end of the tree receiving the shank of theholder, the same may have fitted thereon an ordinary reinforce ferrule10, which prevents splitting of the tree end.

In applying a trace to the holder the slotted end thereof is turned in aperpendicular position and the eye 9 forced cornerwise over the headedend of the holder, and after being passed entirely over the head thetrace is turned at right angles to the cross-head 5 and moved out intosuch head between the upper and lower guard-tongues 6. To remove thetrace, the reverse operation is necessary, as plainly indicated by thedotted lines in Fig. 2.

It Will be understood that changes in the form, proportion, and minordetails of construction may be resorted to Without departing from thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed, and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is

In a trace-holder, the combination with the tree, of a T-shaped hookconsisting of a shank secured to the end of the tree, a cross-headimmovably fixed to the outer end of the shank and having substantiallyequal portions located on opposite sides of said shank, and inhiBELLFIELD X JOHNSON.

' mar Witnesses:

GEORGE P. CROOKER, HENRY C. PARSONS.

